Wine Code Breaker #357

2016 S.C. Pannell Nebbiolo, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 

International Nebbiolo Day is celebrated on the 5th March.  Barolo in Piedmont, Italy, is the original home. The Nebbiolo grape is now considered one of the 18 noble grapes, a term given to those varieties that are internationally recognisable.  It’s original style is of a wine that is light in colour belying its power.  High in tannins and acid, it is also highly aromatic and flavoured, and worthy of cellaring. Nebbiolo is also now making its name in Australia and Adelaide Hills is a region of note.

The 2016 SC Pannell Nebbiolo from Adelaide Hills in South Australia is a light red in colour with an intense brightness.  A delicate perfumed nose of roses, leather, cherries and cranberries. Minerals, cedar and earthenware with a touch of gaminess add depth and complexity – this built with time in the glass.  The palate is of cranberries and a touch of cherries entwined in soft aniseed flavoured leather.  The tannins are grippy, akin to 240 sandpaper but in a good way.  The acid is sharp and flavours are light, yet intense and complex.  And the persistence is gloriously noble, worthy of celebrating on its namesake day. 

Enjoy!

Rating: 95 pts

Closure: Screwtop

Alc: 14%

Drink: Now; 10+ yrs

Price: $60

Tasted: March 2021

Blog Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #356

2019 Mac Forbes EB57 Concrete Schoolyard Pinot Noir, Yarra Junction, Yarra Valley, Victoria 

Mac Forbes’s approach to winemaking starts in the vineyard.  As he states, “the vines are only as good as the soil they are anchored in.”  And with this, he works with the constraints of the seasons.  His EB – Experimental Batch – range is a place for play.   The vinification of the EB57 uses a concrete fermenter and concrete for maturation over 11 months.  No oak is used.  What we get to see with great clarity is the soil being expressed through the grapes of that season. 

The 2019 Mac Forbes EB57 Concrete Schoolyard Pinot Noir is from the Yarra Junction sub-region within Yarra Valley in Victoria.  A delightful bright deep pink to pale ruby coloured wine.  The nose is playful and highly perfumed with red fruits.  It draws you in.  The palate is an array of red fruits that builds on a bed of ethereal tannins.  It is expressive, simple, complex and playful all at once. 

Enjoy!

Rating: 94 pts

Closure: Cork

Alc: 12%

Drink: Now; 3-10 yrs

Price: $40

Tasted: December 2020

Blog Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #355

2019 Soumah Syrah, Yarra Valley, Victoria

International Syrah Day appears to have got lost this year.  Celebrated on the 16th of February, it seems to have slipped most of us by.  Perhaps it was the hangover of the romance of the 14th or was it Global Drink Wine Day on the 18th. Perhaps it was due to the relatively limited use of the term Syrah that is used to adorn the bottle of our choice?  Better known Downunder as Shiraz, Syrah is in fact being observed more and more as the grape that formed the wine in the bottle on the shelf.  It’s use is more an attempt to describe a style; cooler climate with French oak.  In the end, it is a great demonstration of the versatility of the grape and this is what deserves to be celebrated on the 14th, 16th and 18th of February.   

The 2019 Soumah Syrah from the Yarra Valley in Victoria is a bright dark cherry colour in the glass. On the nose, the perfumed spices of St Valentine hang over delightfully along with touches of vanilla, herbs, blueberries and cedar-like pencil shavings. On the palate, Cupid strikes with a mix of blueberries and chocolate. It has leafy herbs that mingle with soft velvety tannins, delivering a highly appealing texture and a lingering finish that is worthy of its namesake day or any other day for that matter.

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
ClosureScrewtop
AlcN/A%
DrinkNow; 5+ yrs
Price$40
TastedDecember 2020
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #354

2018 Mayford Tempranillo, Porepunkah, Alpine Valley, Victoria

A puppy whining in its youth for company can drive you spare.  Without giving puppy raising guidance, they need to be left alone to cope by themselves.  “Let it mature with you not in spite of you,” would appear to be the mantra.  So to with Tempranillo.  From its ancestral home in Rjorca in Spain, it has taken up residence in a small vineyard near Porepunkah in Victoria.  Here it is thriving in a landscape that is dominated by Mt Buffalo and the tempering katabatic winds.

The 2018 Mayford Tempranillo from Porepunkah which sits within the Alpine Valley region of Victoria, is a deep crimson and garnet coloured wine.  The nose is highly appealing with the red fruits, cherries and figs.  The palate is built on a bed of gravelly tannins that are firm and grippy, yet elegant at the same time.  Red fruits, sarsaparilla and cherries excite with their youthful zest and persistence that confirm it is delightful now, while screaming for more time in the bottle.  It may even whine quietly in your cellar.  Be firm.  Leave it alone to cope with itself and you will be rewarded. 

Enjoy!

Rating95pts
ClosureScrewtop
Alc13.9%
DrinkNow; 10+ yrs
Price$40
TastedDecember 2020 & January 2021
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #353

2017 Golden Ball ‘là-bas’ Chardonnay, Beechworth, Victoria 

A rural property located near the gold mining town of Beechworth is named Golden Ball.  As the story goes, it was named after the original settler’s favourite hotel in London (c1850s).  Golden Ball is also the name given to the granite that dominates the region.  The granite shapes the region and informs the soils that have evolved over the eons.  As a vineyard, Golden Ball was established in the 1990s and has some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in the region.  These vines are well and truly in their prime and a golden treasure for us to behold.

The 2017 ‘là-bas’ Chardonnay from Golden Ball in Beechworth, Victoria is by no surprise a bright golden-coloured wine.  The nose showcases fresh white peach and white blossoms, with citrus freshness and a pinch of oatmeal.  The palate is tightly balanced with the white peach, grapefruit and oatmeal working in unison.  Lees adds creaminess to the flavours and texture that is balanced by crisp acidity, delivering a gold medal lingering finish in your favourite hotel.

Enjoy!

Rating94 pts
ClosureScrewtop
Alc13.8%
DrinkNow; 3-10 yrs
Price$45
TastedDecember 2020
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #352

2016 Yagarra Estate Ovitelli Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Counting crows is a pastime oft spent during the long dry Summer months. They argk and squawk as only they can awaiting a carcass to appear. Counting Crows is also an alternative rock music group from California. In “Mrs Potter’s Lullaby” they poetically proposition, “if dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts.” I suspect they were sipping on a glass of Yangarra Grenache at the time as it can put you into a euphoric trance that is somewhere between a dream and a memory. 

The 2016 Yangarra Estate Ovitelli is a Grenache from McLaren Vale in South Australia. Fermented in large ceramic eggs, the end result is a wine that is gloriously bright light crimson coloured as it is swirled around in the glass. The nose is highly perfumed with red fruits, spices and sarsaparilla. The intensity draws you in. The palate upon sipping weaves its magic with fine textural layers intertwining the red berries and spices. Ghosts come and go as the length and flavours rise and fall in waves and persist almost beyond what is real.  As you sit back in amazement, you may find yourself quoting poetry as you count the crows. 

Enjoy!

Rating96 pts
ClosureScrewtop
Alc14.5%
DrinkNow; 3-10 yrs
Price$70
TastedOctober 2020
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #351

2018 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, South Australia

The greatest wines are out of the reach of most of us.  They are wines that fill your dreams.  Their costs far exceed your bank balances, or the consequences of an extravagant spend far exceed the perceived benefit to the palate experience.  Then there are wines that you look at and um and ah over.  Their price is up there, but not stratospheric.  Their reputation is right up there too,  but not at the head of the peloton.  You may have had it years ago and thought it was pretty special and it would be nice to see it again.  It may have filled a day dream, but not a night of dreams and that is absolutely okay.  Penfolds Bin 389 is one of those and a benchmark of the great Aussie blend.

The 2018 Penfolds Bin 389 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the benchmark regions in South Australia.  Its colour is a vibrant display of ruby reds and purples that leaves you marvelling.  The nose is intensely youthful like the colour.  An abundance of liquorice spices, blackberries, blueberries and red fruits galore.  There is an ever so subtle oak with crushed nuts, Chinese five spices and an essence of Peking duck.  The palate presents flavours that are intense and mouthfilling.  Red, black and blue fruits play out on a bed of velvety and emery board like tannins.  It is juxtaposition between the raw and the integrated.  It is imposing and approachable.  It is rewardingly persistent transgressing your day dream to a marvellous shared experience.

Enjoy!

Rating97 pts
ClosureScrewtop
Alc14.5%
Drink10+ yrs
Price$100
TastedSeptember 2020
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #350

Non-Vintage Sparkling Shiraz, Turkey Flat, Barossa Valley, South Australia

A BBQ is an Australian institution.  Snags, salad and steak on a paper plate, all to be eaten with one hand and an implement.  But which implement is best? What do you really need?  A fork, a spoon or a knife? A splayd of course!  Combining a fork, knife and spoon, this is the ultimate Australian invention that will see you get through the BBQ with aplomb.  Of course, the other  Australian invention you need to sip along with is Sparkling Shiraz.

The Non-Vintage Turkey Flat Sparkling Shiraz is from the Barossa Valley in South Australia.  It is an almost violently vibrant, deep magenta coloured wine that is all the more remarkable for the very fine bead.  The nose is rich and luscious with plums, blue berry fruits, spices and chocolate shining through.  A bit of Christmas cake too.  The palate has a luscious array of dark berry flavours and plums that fill the palate to overflowing.  Dark chocolate, espresso, spices and glazed fruits are presented on a super fine bead that is complimented by light sandy tannins. This is a complex and lingering sparkling wine that stands magnificently next to a splayd as one of the great Aussie inventions.

Enjoy!

Rating96 pts
ClosureCrown
Alc13%
DrinkNow; 10+ yrs
Price$45
TastedOctober 2020
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #349

2017 Simonnet-Febvre Cesar Coteaux Bourguignons, Burgundy, France

Asterix and Obelix stories tell the tale of the Julius Caesar’s Romans and their fateful interactions with the Gauls in the territories that are now France.  Of course Getafix, the Druid, has access to a magic potion that keeps the Gauls and Romans in a semi-conflicted peace.  The potion remains a secret, but I suspect it was a blend of Pinot Noir and Argant.  An ancient variety, once thought to be introduced to France by Caesar, it was called Cesar.  It’s home is in the north of the Burgundy region.

The 2017 Simonnet-Febvre Cesar is from the Coteaux Bourguignons sub-region of Burgundy in France.  The colour is a very bright crimson and flashes as a potion drawing you in.  The nose is an elixir of cedar, cherries, secret herbs and raspberries.  The palate is driven by the herbs with raspberries and cherries.  Robust rustic tannins provide the bed for length.  The sharp acidity cries out for food and extends it out.  Perhaps best served with wild boar to keep the peace.

Enjoy!

Rating93 pts
ClosureCork
Alc13%
DrinkNow; 3-10 yrs
Price$40
TastedJuly 2020
Back to Home Page

Wine Code Breaker #348

2020 Dormilona Yokel Trebbiano Pet Nat, Swan Valley, Western Australia

Trebbiano is thought to have originated in Italy and during Roman times, made its way to France.  Today it is one of the most widely grown varieties in the world, but will mostly be seen in balsamic vinegars and some fortifieds.  It was introduced into Australia in 1832 by James Busby.  From there it made its way to other regions including the  Swan Valley in Western Australia.  Naturally high in acidity, it is no surprise that it pairs well with hard cheeses and Italian dishes.  As a Petillant Naturel, its little bit of fizz adds just a bit more excitement.

The 2020 Dormilona Yokel Trebbiano Petillant Naturel, or Pet Nat for short, is from a site in the Swan Valley of Western Australia.  Poured from a clear bottle, you experience a Springtime sunset in a glass; hues of yellow and orange that excite.  Add in sprinkles of a fine bead of the Pet Nat and your interest goes up a notch.  An appealing nose with pears, apples, lemons and a touch of mandarin rind.  The palate displays the fine bead as a light fizz, deftly swirling the flavours of peach, pear and green apples.  A refreshing crispness from the acidity aides to the relaxation as the sun sets below the horizon.  Time tough for another glass as twilight lingers some moments more.

Enjoy!

Rating90 pts
ClosureCrown
Alc12.5%
DrinkNow
Price$25
TastedNovember 2020
Back to Home Page